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A detailed guide for participants of the Ingham County Rabbit Meat Project. It covers various aspects of raising rabbits for meat, including equipment needs, breed selection, breeding, and caring for kits. The document also includes information on different types of meat projects and the requirements for each.
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Member Name: _________________________________ Years in Project: __________
Club: _________________________________________________________________
Leader Signature: ________________________________ Date: _________________
Signature of Superintendent to Indicate Attendance at Tattoo Clinic:
Welcome to the Ingham County Rabbit Meat Project! This is an amazing opportunity for you to expand your knowledge about the species and broaden your animal related skill set. Before you get started, take a minute to think about what you want to get out of your meat project for the year.
Is your goal to see how much money you can earn? Do you want to watch a litter develop and grow? Do you want to supply your family with another source of meat? By pinpointing what you want to get out of this project, you can decide what specific steps to take in order to achieve these goals; this practice will improve your experience tremendously, and hopefully produce a better overall project for fair!
Plan to fill out this document as you complete the project. When your project has been completed, you will turn this book in, and it will be reviewed by the Rabbit Superintendents. If you have any questions in the process, consult your project leader, or a Superintendent! Questions help facilitate learning, and that’s what this project is all about.
We all know that sometimes situations get out of hand; with that in mind, it’s suggested you purchase or start with a trio of rabbits. A trio consists of 2 does and 1 buck. It’s recommended that each of these rabbits be of the same breed, and same variety. Keep in mind, when you do a meat pen project, the rabbits you use are not required to be from the same litter. In other words, if you have 2 does who produce multiple babies per litter, that would give you a nice and varied selection to choose from. This allows you to be a little pickier when selecting your final project.
If you need to purchase your animals, find a reputable breeder who will spend time to help you learn about the strengths and faults of the breed. It’s important to know about the breed you’re working with so you can house and feed them appropriately.
Do you need to purchase any of this equipment? If so, then please list below what you
had to purchase and what the purchase price was:
Cage: $________
Feed $________ How many bags for the whole project: ___________
Feeders/Crocks $________
Nest Box $________
Shavings $_________ How many bags for the whole project: ___________
Total cost of project: $________________
What do you want to get out of your project? __________________________________
Did you purchase a trio of rabbits? _____________________________
If so, what did you pay for them: $_________________
Did you previously own a doe and buck to use in your project? ___________________ What breed of rabbits are you using for your meat project? _______________________
Why did you choose this breed? ____________________________________________
Types of Meat Projects
Our county offers three different type of Meat Projects: Meat Pens, Single Fryers, and
Roasters
Meat Pen= 3 rabbits, same breed, variety; weight to be between 3.08 and 5.08lbs; age to be not over 70 days Single Fryer= 1 rabbit; weight to be between 3.08 to 5.08 lbs; age to not be over 70 days (yes, the single fryer and meat pen can be out of the same litter) Roaster= 1 rabbit; weight to be between 5.08 to 8.0 lbs; age to be not over 6 months
The best way to figure out the date that you need to breed your rabbits is to find out when the rabbit check in date for your fair is. Take that date and count 100 days back. It’s recommended to do this because the rabbit needs 30 days for gestation and then the project animals need to be just about 70 days old.
When the time comes to breed your animals, it’s recommended that the doe is put in the buck’s cage. This is because does tend to be territorial, and may cause harm to the buck or you.
What is a rabbit’s “gestation period”? _______________________________________
What type of Meat Project will you be exhibiting this year? _______________________
When should the nest box be put into the doe’s cage? __________________________
Around the 28th^ day after breeding, the nest box should be placed in the doe’s
cage. Make sure she has some type of nesting material in the box; this will ensure the
kits are delivered into a warm and comfortable environment. Often, the doe will build a
nest for her kits before they are born. This often means a doe will pull fur before the kits are born; sometimes they will not. Sometimes they wait until the kits are born and then
will pull fur or arrange the nesting material to cover the babies up.
After the litter is born make sure you check the kits. Look in the nest and make
sure they are alive and moving around. If any dead kits are in the nest, remove those
as soon as possible. It’s your responsibility as the breeder to check on the kits each
day. Make sure the kits are receiving enough milk and are generally being cared for by
the doe. There is a possibility that you may never see a doe in the nest box feeding the kits;
If you are not able to attend the scheduled clinic it is up to the member’s family to contact the superintendent to arrange another time BEFORE the date of the scheduled clinic. NO tattoos will be given after the clinic date if not previously arranged.
Before picking your meat pen/fryer/roaster, review the point schedule for the corresponding category. Take this schedule into consideration while choosing the
animals you will exhibit. The animals that you choose will want to be as uniform as you
can get them. Look at their meat type and compare this to others in the litter to decide
which three are the most consistent.
Meat Pen: Single Fryer/Roasters
Meat Type: 40 points Meat Type: 50 points
Condition of Flesh: 30 points Condition of flesh: 40 points Uniformity of body and weight: 20 points Fur: 10 points
Fur: 10 points
Total points: 100 points Total points: 100 points
Use the chart above to judge your own animals. Give points to each
animal then group 3 animals for a meat pen and give that group points.
Rabbit #1: _____________ Rabbit #2: _______________ Rabbit #3: _____________ Rabbit #4: _______________
Rabbit #5: _____________ Rabbit #6: _______________
Rabbit #7: _____________ Rabbit #8: _______________
Rabbit #9______________ Rabbit #10: ______________
Meat Pen: __________________
What’s worth more in a meat pen: Condition of animal or Uniformity? _____________
Were you able to make a meat pen out of the animals that you raised? _____________
Were there any animals in any of the litters that had a disqualification? _____________
If you answered yes, then describe the disqualification: __________________________
Record Weight Chart
Starting at age 4 weeks, weigh each kit weekly to track their growth:
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
What are the top three things you learned?
What are three things that surprised you?
What are three things you would’ve done differently?
